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TEMPLEGATE’S Sunday picks are below.

Back a horse simply by clicking their odds.

IMMEDIATE EFFECT (4.05 Southwell, nap)

SIR Mark Prescott has another improver on his hands here. He has yet to finish any poorer than second and got the job done nicely on handicap debut over this course and distance last time out. He had a bit up his sleeve and most Prescott performers improve with racing. He can take another step forward here.

GOLDEN HANDSHAKE (5.45 Southwell, nb)

Scored in the King’s colours at Lingfield last time. He had an easy five lengths in hand and showed a good turn of foot. He’s capable of a step forward.

ENDLESS WHISPER (6.45 Southwell, treble)

Can improve over this much longer trip after going close over 1m4f last time. She looks on a fair mark for the Easterbys.

TOMMIE GUN (3.08 Perth, Lucky 15)

Should have won at Hexham last time but for a late error and can strike for the Lucky 15.

Templegate’s tips

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A FORMER WWE superstar has been shot dead outside his home with police launching an urgent probe.

Kevin Nikel, 41, was best known to fans as NXT brawler Knuckles Madsen as well as Ivan Warsaw on the Indies.

Facebook/@Knuckels Madsen

Kevin Nikel, 41, was best known to fans as NXT brawler Knuckles Madsen as well as Ivan Warsaw on the Indies[/caption]

Nikel was reportedly shot and killed on Friday in Benton County, Arkansas.

Cops discovered the professional wrestler with a gunshot wound to his abdomen before rushing him to hospital.

Nikel tragically passed away before he could receive life-saving treatment.

Benton County officials are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

No arrests have been made in the case yet.

More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.

Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun

EASTENDERS has signed up a former Casualty star for a shocking new role – and he’s going to be around for a while.

The BBC soap has cast Aayan Ibikunle Shoderu as new character Okie.

BBC

Aayan Ibikunle Shoderu made his debut earlier this week as Okie[/caption]

The gangster made his debut earlier this week as he confronted Ravi Gulati and Harry Mitchel about the drug deal gone wrong.

But after crashing Ravi’s daughter’s birthday party, and insulting Ravi, he ended up getting a kicking and being left with the rubbish outside of the club.

Now The Sun can reveal that Okie – full name Tobias Okyere – will be back as a resident fixture in Walford.

A source said: “Okie is going to cause chaos in Walford.

“He’ll really set the cat amongst the pigeons and become quite the thorn in the side for Harry and the other Mitchells.

“He’s going to become a familiar face over the next few months so he’s definitely one to watch out for.”

The new arrival comes as EastEnders is saying goodbye to a string of characters.

Last week the remaining members of the Taylor family left the Square as Bernie and Felix fled to Spain for a new life with the Panesar family money.

Actors Clare Norris and Matthew James Morrison left the show after new boss Ben Wadey made sweeping changes.

And in the coming months both Bobby Brazier and Molly Rainford are set to leave.

The Sun revealed both Bobby had mutually decided to leave the show as Freddie Slater after three years.

And Molly was keen to explore her options after deciding to leave during a meeting with show bosses.

THE percentage of privately educated BBC staff is four times higher in top-paying jobs than in the lowest salary bracket, ­its own figures reveal.

The news will increase claims of elitism at the broadcaster.

Only seven per cent of Brits have a private ­education, but 32 per cent of BBC roles with a salary of £150,000 or more are occupied by those who do.

And just 6.8 per cent of jobs there with pay of under £30,000 are taken by the privately educated.

Social mobility expert Prof Lee Elliot Major said: “The BBC’s disproportionate representation of privately educated individuals in its highest-paying roles starkly illustrates the persistent class barriers in British society.

“The BBC was founded to serve the whole nation — yet we have a public institution that looks and sounds out of step with the lives of the people it is intended to serve and represent.

“It isn’t healthy when the most powerful roles come from the same small slice of society.

“It means news organisations are fishing in a narrow talent pool, missing out on the perspectives of people from different backgrounds.”

The BBC said: “We’re doing more than ever to bring people to the BBC from all backgrounds.”

In 2023, an Ofcom report said low-income audiences found the Beeb too “politically correct”.

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Percentage of privately educated BBC staff is four times higher in top-paying jobs than in the lowest salary bracket[/caption]

THE mother of a Brit man who went missing in Sardinia a year ago has said she’s been “broken” since his disappearance.

Michael Frison suddenly vanished on the Italian island, where he had just arrived to do volunteer work on a farm, in July 2024.

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Facebook/@Cristina Pittalis

He vanished on 13 July 2024, just the day after he arrived on the Mediterranean island[/caption]

A year on from his disappearance, Michael’s mother Cristina Pittalis has told Sky News of her anguish over what happened to him.

“I’m trying not to lose my mind,” she said as she recounted the last time she heard his voice.

“He was in a rush but absolutely clear in his speech, I didn’t detect any confusion in his state of mind.”

Michael, 26, vanished on 13 July 2024, just the day after he arrived on the Mediterranean island.

Cristina, who is from Somerset, told the broadcaster: “Human beings do not disappear from the face of earth without leaving traces unless … something extremely bad happened to them.”

Her son had reportedly gone for a walk, and returned in a confused state and showing signs of heatstroke.

After this, he went for a second walk – from which he never returned.

His clothes and trainers were later found close by.

Michael’s mum told Sky News is was “extremely unlikely” he would suffer heatstroke as he had lived on the island before.

It would also be “completely out of character” to wander off barefoot and leave his belongings behind, she added.

She has now moved to Sardinia along with her other son, 11, in an attempt to look for Michael.

Cristina, who is originally from Sassari in the island’s northwest, said she is “extremely worried because there are no traces of Michael”.

Although a local investigation into his whereabouts is ongoing, Michael’s mum wants Interpol to step in to help with the search.

“It’s a never-ending nightmare,” she said. “There’s no real accountability… I am here and I am broken.”

Cristina said that “during the past 12 months, the area was constantly searched, through woodland, caves, mountains” – but nothing was found.

She is also calling for a woman from Jersey who is believed to have been with Michael in the days leading up to his disappearance to come forward with any available information.

One of her friends previously set up a GoFundMe to help with the search that raised more than £10,000.

The money was aimed at supporting various costs including travel, legal fees and awareness campaigns.

Cristina further told Sky of the impact Michael’s disappearance has had on his younger half-brother Emanuele.

Emanuele’s father died back in 2017.

“He’s devastated,” she said. “The three of us were extremely close, the two of them, they used to do everything together.”

She added that for him “it’s horrible, he lost his father and now he lost his brother.”

Facebook/@Cristina Pittalis

Michael’s mum told Sky News is was “extremely unlikely” he would suffer heatstroke as he had lived on the island before[/caption]

Facebook/@Cristina Pittalis

SHE’S best known for ­playing glamorous nurse Trixie Franklin on hit BBC drama Call The Midwife, but fans are about to see a very different side to Helen George.

The actress, 41, will battle her deepest dread of putting her head underwater as she takes part in a radical new ITV reality show, Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters.

Shutterstock Editorial

Helen George will take part in radical new ITV reality show, Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters[/caption]

BBC

Helen is best known for ­playing glamorous nurse Trixie Franklin on hit BBC drama Call The Midwife[/caption]

Speaking to The Sun on Sunday ahead of the first episode on ITV1 tomorrow night, Helen reveals that she developed the fear, known as aquaphobia, after experiencing a ­horrendous near-death experience in a swimming pool as a child.

Helen said: “I was terrified of ­putting my head underwater. I have a real deep-rooted fear.

“I used to love the water when I was really young, but I went to a swimming party when I was six.

“They put those weird Nineties foam mats down. They’re massive yoga mats, really.

“I just remember this moment of being stuck underneath one and not being able to get out. There was that fear of being trapped. I finally made my way up to the surface.

“But I remember no one noticing that I’d gone, and no one really believing what I said, because no one had seen it. From then, I got it in my head about not putting my head underwater.

“I have a really strong image of looking up to the top of the swimming pool and the mats were on top and no one knew I was down there.”

Helen confronts her fear head-on in the new five-part series, in which celebs plunge into the ocean and learn to swim with man-eating sharks, without a cage, off the island of Bimini in the Bahamas.

‘It’s not safe’

She is thrown in at the deep end with comedian Lenny Henry, Countdown’s Rachel Riley, McFly bassist Dougie Poynter, stand-up comic Ross Noble, Amandaland actress Lucy Punch and TV presenter Ade Adepitan.

Mum-of-two Helen was spurred to push herself as she ­realised her kids Wren, seven, and three-year-old Lark were becoming more confident in the water than she was.

She also opened up to her property developer boyfriend Dan Innes about her fear, which he had not noticed on their holidays.

Helen explained: “My kids know that I am scared of the water, and my seven-year- old is more confident in the water than I am, and I realised I’ve got to do something about that as it’s not safe.

“I hadn’t even told Dan how scared of the water I was, and he was like, ‘But you got in the sea on holiday in Cornwall with me. I didn’t know you were so scared’.”

It’s the first reality TV show Helen has been in since BBC’s Strictly ten years ago.

She is stepping back into the limelight two years after splitting from actor Jack ­Ashton, the father of her two children, who she met on Call The Midwife when he played ­Reverend Tom Hereward.

Soon after, she grew close to her co-star Olly Rix, who was cast as her businessman ­husband Matthew Aylward.

My kids know that I am scared of the water and my seven-year-old is more confident in the water than I am. I realised I’ve got to do something about that

When the offer to swim with sharks came in, Helen explained that she felt ­compelled to take part, even if it did leave her feeling exposed.

She said: “I’m an actor, I play other people’s vulnerability, so playing my own and being vulnerable on screen without make-up was
hard. It’s so scary. I play a character known for ­wearing lots of make-up, and that’s her thing — so not having that to hide behind was new.

“There’s no hair and make-up. I’ve not done reality since Strictly, which is obviously a very different beast. So revealing yourself on screen is being vulnerable.”

Helen was fortunate that producers at Call The Midwife, where she has worked for 13 years, let her finish filming a week early so she could jet out to the ­Caribbean last autumn to tackle her fear.

Helen said: “I get asked to do all sorts of things, but no one’s ever asked me to do a show with sharks. I realised it was probably never going to happen again. It did sound like an amazing premise for a show, so I couldn’t turn it down.

“Hearing how mad an idea it was, I thought I had to do it.

PA

The celebrities taking part in new ITV show, from left, Ade, Ross, Helen, Lenny, Lucy, Dougie and Rachel[/caption]

Mediadrumimages/KenKieferII

The scary predators will get up close with celebs in new show[/caption]

“I had to get some time off from Call The Midwife. They kindly gave me a week off so I could make it out.

“For me, putting my head under- water was the scariest thing I could do, so the idea that sharks would be involved made it even scarier.”

Before filming began, Helen confessed she almost pulled out, but she forced herself to conquer her inner critic, revealing: “I had that feeling you get before a funeral — you know, that something bad is about to ­happen and you’ve got to face it.

“I had a few moments before I flew out where I thought, ‘Oh my God, am I actually going to do this?’.

“Before our first day ­filming, I knew that something big was happening, and I didn’t know we were going to be cage-diving with sharks on the first day, just to really throw us in at the deep end.

“I did wake that night in a panic thinking, ‘What am I doing here?’.”

‘I burst into tears’

In the first days of the show, Helen struggled so much to immerse herself underwater that bosses almost gave her a separate snorkelling challenge.

She said: “When we were doing the training in the swimming pool, I said to everyone, ‘I haven’t put my head underwater for 15 to 20 years. I’m really scared of swimming’.

“I hadn’t realised how bad it was and I burst into tears. It felt like everyone else was really progressing and I wasn’t. So at one point, the producers were going to put me on a junior snorkelling course, instead of the actual deep-sea diving experience.

“And then I thought, ‘F**k this, I want to join in with everybody else’.

“It wasn’t a big, beautiful moment that I’d imagined, where I saw a beautiful fish and I wanted to swim.

“It was more I felt like I was being left behind and I wouldn’t have the same experience as my friends.

‘When we were training in the swimming pool, I said to everyone, ‘I’m really scared of swimming’. I hadn’t realised how bad it was and I burst into tears’

“I had to put my big girl pants on and get on with it, or I was going to miss out on these incredible ­experiences.”

Helen added: “We kept hearing gossip from the crew that we might swim with dolphins, but I think they were dangling a carrot. We never saw a single dolphin!”

• Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters starts tomorrow at 9pm on ITV1.

MARK Wright has come under fire for pushing his dad into the pool at his mega mansion.

The TV star, 38, filmed himself as he knocked Mark Snr, 68, down the steps into the water – as sister Jessica’s young son swam close by.

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Mark Wright filmed himself pushing his dad in the pool[/caption]

Instagram

His dad stumbled down the steps into the water[/caption]

Instagram

Jessica’s young son was swimming nearby[/caption]

Mark Snr could be seen emerging from the water shouting: “You f**king idiot”, as he quickly tried to retrieve his phone that was in his pocket at the time.

Former Towie star Mark can be heard laughing hysterically while Jess scrambled to help their dad.

He shared the video online but not everyone found it funny and many were concerned for Jess’s son Presley’s safety.

One person wrote: “Not funny with the steps and the child , could have ended badly.”

A second said:  “Not funny at all!! Didn’t you see the child close to him! Absolutely shocking and uncomfortable to watch!!!”

While a third added:  “Na this was so out of order Mark!  not funny at all. He may be fine, however, it could have been so bad.”

And a fourth wrote:  “That was not funny, could have had a serious accident.”

Jess also commented on the post and remarked: “The language was frightening lol.”

The family were enjoying the weather from Mark and his wife Michelle Keegan’s £3.5m home, which boasts its own swimming pool.

Mark is known for his love of pranks and he was hoping to sign his Brassic actress wife up for the Michael McIntyre’s Big Show programme on the BBC but he quickly backed out.

Michael admitted that Mark insisted that Michelle take part in the programme’s infamous Midnight Gameshow.

In the sketch, Michael surprises a celebrity in the dead of the night in their bedroom.

The unsuspecting star is then forced to participate in a series of games all from the comfort of their bed.

Teasing Mark’s plans, Michael said: “I ran into Mark Wright at a golf day and he said: ‘You’ve got to wake up my wife [Michelle Keegan]’…

“But then he was like: ‘I don’t think I can do this, she’s going to hate me.’

However, Mark soon realised there could be a very dangerous problem.

Michael recalled: “Then he mentioned that there’s some sort of attack dog that sleeps on the bed with them.”

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Mark Snr has appeared on Towie with his son in the past[/caption]

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Mark with his wife Michelle – who wasn’t in the video[/caption]

BALIWAG, BULACAN, Philippines — Standing prominently at the corner of Dr. Gonzales and Torres Bugallon streets in Tibag village in Baliwag, Bulacan, is an unassuming “bahay na bato” that holds a special place in the history of Baliwag and of the Philippines. One of few remaining ancestral houses in the city, this house was said

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) is looking for a public-private partnership (PPP) to build the country’s first spaceport, in a bid to promote the Philippines as a strategic launch site in the expanding international market of space development. The agency, established in 2019, submitted a proposal to the PPP Center on July

A DERELICT theme park inspired by Arthurian legend is set to be demolished – but locals aren’t happy.

Residents living near Camelot theme park in Chorley have expressed their frustration with the proposed plans.

Donna Clifford/ Magnus News

Chorley’s Camelot theme park has been abandoned since 2012[/caption]

Donna Clifford/ Magnus News

The derelict site has become popular with urban explorers[/caption]

chorley.gov.uk

Plans for an £80 million, 350-home development were filed in June[/caption]

chorley.gov.uk

Locals are concerned about the impact the development could have on greenbelt land[/caption]

Having closed down over a decade ago, the derelict site has become overgrown and littered with graffiti.

It has turned the once-popular theme park into a hot spot for urban explorers and rebellious locals.

Despite the 140-acre land laying unused since 2012, locals have protested against new planning proposals that could see the site repurposed.

The plan centres on an £80 development that would see 350 homes built on the site.

Plans were put forward by Developers Story Homes to Chorley Borough Council on June 20.

However, similar plans have twice been rejected – once in 2014, and again in 2017 – since the developers bought the site in 2009.

In planning documents they claim it is “well positioned” to support wider regional growth and a “prime location” for a residential development like this.

They plan to keep half of the new homes as “affordable” housing after the estimated seven-year project.

The developers also hope it will lead to more wide-ranging benefits for the area, bringing in jobs and higher household expenditure.

Despite the optimistic proposals, residents in nearby Heskin have argued against the project, with 25 objections to the proposals and just one supporting.

They are primarily concerned about the destruction of wildlife on greenbelt land.

Others were worried about increased noise and traffic, with the village’s population of 1,000 people having “insufficient infrastructure” to cope with new residents.

One resident commenting on the proposals said: “There are not enough amenities to cope. How will the schools, GPs, roads cope?

They added: “Please leave our greenery and woodland and nature alone.”

Other residents expressed similar concerns, with one writing: “The development lacks clear provision for new schools, healthcare or transport links – failing to meet the needs of the existing population, let alone new residents.”

Another resident raised concerns about existing drainage problems in the area.

While the report does consider flood risks to the site, they feel it has not adequately considered risk to the existing properties.

They wrote: “We have issues with drainage already and with the aforementioned sites we have no idea how this is going to impact the communities with flooding and future issues.”

Residents generally would rather the site be used to enhance the existing community, for example with a leisure centre, or dedicated woodland trails.

Out of the 27 comments on the planning proposal, only one local expressed support for the development.

They wrote: “There are some who say there isn’t the infrastructure to make this development viable. I would say, there are numerous engineers whose job it is to ensure that there will be enough electricity/drainage etc to ensure the development will be ok.

“As long as the development is sympathetic to the local nature, I think it is an ideal use of a brown field site.”

The planning application does contain reference to a 186.9 square metre community hub “with associated habitat creation, landscaping, open space, parking, footpaths / cycleways, drainage and other infrastructure.”

Publicity Picture

The theme park was once a popular tourist spot[/caption]

Donna Clifford/ Magnus News

It has since become overgrown and littered with graffiti[/caption]

Donna Clifford/ Magnus News

Two other planning proposals were rejected by the council in 2014 and 2017[/caption]

chorley.gov.uk

Locals are also concerned about increased flood risk in the area[/caption]